He handed me the tracking device, then gazed into my eyes. “Are you ready?”
I breathed out a soft laugh. “Not by a long shot, but I want Sky home, safe in our arms,” I told him. “So yes. I’m ready.”
“Me too, kitten,” he murmured. “Let’s do this.”
56
SKY
I curledup on the forest floor, shivering from the cold and the pain. I cradled my wounded arm to my chest, where it throbbed with each beat of my heart. Blood soaked my paper-thin hospital gown.
It was my idea for Dr. Thompson to draw blood, to lure River in, but I hadn’t expected the bastard to turn a scalpel on me and slice my arm open from outer elbow to wrist.
I clutched the burner phone Thompson had given me in my other hand. I wanted so badly to call Adam. To apologize, to tell him I loved him one last time, but I knew that I couldn’t. I knew if I did, it would breach our contract and Dr. Thompson would hurt my baby just because he could.
Tears slid hot down my cheeks as I cried silently into the night. It wasn’t fair. Why me? Why now, when I finally had something to live for? A family. Mates that loved me.
My heart felt raw, like it’d been dragged across a cheese grater, but my chest was hollow. I was playing a game I couldn’t win, and I knew it.
Except Dr. Thompson had signed a contract. We had a witness. At least this way, my little one would get to Adam andFletcher safely. She would grow up with a loving family, and my mates would have the daughter they’d always dreamed of.
A family.
Without me.
I broke into sobs, hugging myself harder, as if that might somehow stop the ache.
I sat in the cold for what seemed like forever before I heard a noise in the woods beyond.
I stiffened, my breath catching. Keening my ears, I listened even as my heart ached, because I’d knowingly led my twin right into a trap.
But it was the only way.
Swallowing back the emotion like glass in my throat, I stared out into the darkness. The underbrush cracked softly under paws, and it wasn’t long before a large wolf appeared, sniffing at the ground, his ears swiveling.
Wary. Hesitant.
Of course he was. He knew this was dangerous territory. He knew what kind of monster Dr. Thompson was—but he wouldn’t expect me to be the one to betray him.
I closed my eyes and fought back the tears, then called out to the wolf. “R-River?” My voice wavered.
The big beast’s head snapped up. He zeroed in on me like a homing missile, froze, then rushed over, shifting mid-stride.
“Sky?” he uttered, his eyes widening. “Shit, you’re bleeding.”
The concern in his voice was too much to bear. Something inside of me cracked, and I started sobbing, coming undone there on the cold forest floor.
“Shh, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay,” River assured me. “I’m here now.”
He knelt down beside me and did something I never thought he’d do again—he clutched me in a tight embrace, holding me to his chest like something precious.
Then his breath warmed my ear, barely a whisper: “Don’t be afraid. I know this is a setup, but the pack is going to save us.”
What? No. I shook my head, but River squeezed me, almost as a warning. “I need time to stall Thompson. I know I’ve been a shitty brother, but trust me, okay?” He pressed his forehead against mine, then let me go and rose to his full height.
I whimpered and hugged myself. This was bad. This was very bad. What if Dr. Thompson thought I’d betrayed him? My baby’s life was on the line, and now, so was River’s.
Thompson and his men were armed. If wolves came out of the woods, they’d shoot them down. I wasn’t sure if I could ever forgive myself if someone from the pack—or worse, my mates—died because of me.
